17 August, 2003

Celebrity Caricatures

Caricature
artists often exaggerate prominent facial features to make their subjects more
recognizable, and also, funnier looking. It's an easy laugh, to be sure, but
it's fun. In this contest, you will enlarge or shrink a *facial feature* on any
celebrity, preferably to amusing proportions.

Sorry, no mountainous breasts on Dolly or 65 ft J-Lo butts,
only facial features for this one. I know, I know, I said I was sorry.

Posted on 17 August, 2003

New From Brian Eno

Russian propaganda was so obvious that most Russians were able
to ignore it. They took it for granted that the government operated in its own
interests and any message coming from it was probably slanted - and they
discounted it.

In the West the calculated manipulation of public opinion to
serve political and ideological interests is much more covert and therefore much
more effective. Its greatest triumph is that we generally don't notice it - or
laugh at the notion it even exists.

Posted on 17 August, 2003

Wheathead Bloggers

Regular readers here
know that I'm a huge fan of Whole Wheat
Radio -- a unique webcast that entertains me for at least eight hours per
day. Over the weekend, it seems that quite a few bloggers have discovered WWR.

Apparently, I've been getting a bit of radio play on the
Alaskan internet radio station Whole Wheat Radio. It seems like a very comfy
place to hang out (very interactive), their playlists are excellent, and they
(cough) allow requests.

I mostly think of radio as the thing that keeps me from hearing
how bad my truck engine is running, but tonight has changed my mind. I've been
listening to Whole Wheat Radio, a, um, well. An "Interactive Radio Theatre And
Music Party Webcast" from a 12x12 plywood shack in Talkeetna, Alaska. Great
indie music, domestic disputes, and blogs read live, all in a glorious stew,
being remixed based on what people are saying in the chatroom at the time

I've never heard anything quite like it, and was wondering how
exactly the whole interactive bit worked when I heard a robot sounding voice
say, over a God awful rendition of Happy Birthday, "Shannon Campbell says this
sucks". I don't know Shannon, but I read her weblog and found the whole thing
oddly compelling.

By the way, if you want a quick way to find out if WWR is for you, tune in at
12:00 noon (US Pacific Coast time). Jim Kloss, the guy who runs the place, does
an hour of ranting and raving (no music). If he's "on" you'll quickly know if
WWR is something you can relate to.

Posted on 17 August, 2003

Radiation Warning Tags

This radiation warning symbol pre-dates the current
three-bladed radiation warning symbol - it was used at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory for a short time after WW II. Other symbols, such as a skull and
cross bones, were used elsewhere.

You can read more about the history of the radiation warning symbol
here.
And remember:

The radiation warning symbol should not be confused with the
civil defense symbol designed to identify fallout shelters.

Posted on 17 August, 2003

Tech Support From Scoble

Apparently, Microsoft employees are volunteering to help out with Blaster
worm-related technical support. And
Robert Scoble is one of them.

I just got back from answering Microsoft support phone calls.
Dozens of Microsoft employees are being trained every hour to help out because
of the Blaster worm. Support call volume is extraordinarily high. I hear we're
still getting more calls than our trunk lines can handle (translation: some
customers are still getting busy signals). I helped five people in three hours.
Yeah, I'm slow, so shoot me. Helping users isn't easy.

Common Errors in English

Here we're concerned only with deviations from the standard use
of English as judged by sophisticated users such as professional writers,
editors, teachers, and literate executives and personnel officers. The aim of
this site is to help you avoid low grades, lost employment opportunities, lost
business, and titters of amusement at the way you write or speak.

For example, if you're one of those people who use the term "butt naked,"
you'll learn the error of your ways here:

The standard expression is "buck naked," and the contemporary "butt naked" is
an error that will get you laughed at in some circles. However, it might be just
as well if the new form were to triumph. Originally a "buck" was a dandy, a
pretentious, overdressed show-off of a man. Condescendingly applied in the U.S.
to Native Americans and black slaves, it quickly acquired negative connotations.
To the historically aware speaker, "buck naked" conjures up stereotypical images
of naked "savages" or--worse--slaves laboring naked on plantations. Consider
using the alternative expression "stark naked."

Scenes From Space

Gravity on Earth is the same everywhere, right? Wrong.
Mysterious variations in the attractive force would make an object weigh less in
some places than in others.

This NASA false-relief map magnifies highs and lows to detail
where the gravitational field is strong and weak. A person just off the coast of
India, for example, would weigh about 1 percent less than most other places.

Jailhouse Photos

Approximately 3 and a half years ago, the jail of the City of
Cuernavaca, located in Atlacomulco street, was evacuated. Inmates and guards
were transferred to a new prison in Atlacholoaya, Morelos... They could not take
their belongings with them. This was done in order to make them arrive "clean"
to the new facilities (without money, clothes or hidden drugs and/or weapons).

Blues News

A couple of items that may be of interest to blues fans...

On 26 August, Reelin' in the
Years Productions will be releasing two DVDs and one CD of vintage blues
performances from the American Blues Folk Festival. The footage is from the
'60's and, supposedly, it is excellent quality.

The Virtual Silhouette Parlour

Apparently, there's a silhouette parlour in Reading, England. And
this web site is
a "virtual mirror."

Shown here are silhouettes by Huardel Bly.

Huardel Bly's work is marked by a lively and inspired style of
cutting, with a restrained and tasteful use of slash cut embellishments to
indicate collars, etc. You can always spot one of his silhouettes by the "shoe"
shape of the bust line

You'll find lots of interesting images here. But, unfortunately, the site is
not well designed, and the poorly-chosen background graphic makes it virtually
illegible. Why, oh why, do some web site designers think that every site must
have a background image?